Morning Box Score

By Marcus Gilmer in Miscellaneous on Sep 15, 2008 2:00PM

Zambrano No-Hits Astros
In the first game for either team since the series was delayed and relocated to Milwaukee by Hurricane Ike, Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano returned to fine form with a no-hitter, striking out 10 along the way, for a 5-0 Cubs win. It was the first Cubs no-hitter in 36 years, when Milt Pappas no-hit the Padres. It was also the first neutral site no-hitter since 1900, though there were an awful lot of Cubs fans in the stands. Alfonso Soriano (solo home run) and Derek Lee (two-run double) led the offensive charge for the Cubs. Game two of the series will be this afternoon in Milwaukee with the third game scheduled to be made up in Houston on September 29th if the game is necessary for playoff purposes. In other good news, the Cubs lead over the slumping Brewers is now at 7.5 games thanks to Milwaukee's continuing slump. Cubs fans are breathing a bit easier this morning.

Sox Sweep Doubleheader
The Sox also finally got to play for the first time since their series with the Tigers had suffered several wash-outs. In game one, Javier Vasquez hurled 7 and 2/3 shutout innings to lead the Sox to a 4-2 victory. Alexei Ramirez homered while Jermaine Dye, Dewayne Wise, and Juan Uribe added RBIs. The Pale Hose then took game two thanks to an eighth inning D-Wise pinch hit grand slam that lifted them to an 11-7 victory. Jim Thome and Brian Anderson added homers. John Dank had a strong start, throwing six shutout innings before the bullpen faltered, and Matt Thornton got the win. Glass-half-empty Ozzie said, "We won the game. That's the only good thing." True, but that razor-thin lead over the Twins in the AL Central is now at 1.5 games, so it's not ALL doom and gloom for the Sox who head to New York today to start a 10-game road trip that culminates in a huge three-game set in Minnesota next week.

Bears Blow Lead To Panthers
The Bears blew a 17-3 lead to the Carolina Panthers and lost 20-17. Benjy's up in a bit with a full recap.